1917

September 12 | 6:30 p.m.
Embassy of France - La Maison Française

A Centennial Commemoration of the United States’ Entrance into WWI

In 1917, the United States entered World War One, joining France and its allies, and fundamentally shifting the balance of the conflict. 1917 would also prove to be a pivotal year in art and culture due, in large part, to an extraordinary exchange of ideas between Europe and America. One hundred years later, the French Embassy in the United States sheds light on this momentous occasion through an artistic commemoration of the sacrifice made by Americans as well as a celebration of the enduring bond between the United States and France.

On Tuesday, September 12, 2017, the French Embassy will present a unique event featuring two live musical performances by the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”, a film screening and a photography exhibition.

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Dance, Sing, Play!

September 26
Embassy of France - La Maison Française

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg/Les Parapluies de Cherbourg
by Jacques Demy
1964 - France - 91 min
September 26 | 7:00 p.m.

Cherbourg, November 1957. Madame Emery and her daughter, Geneviève, run an umbrella store. Geneviève is in love with Guy, a mechanic working in a garage. When her mother learns of the relationship, she disapproves. Guy lives with his aunt who is seriously ill. The two lovers must part as he is drafted to fight in Algeria. Pregnant and desperate with little news of Guy, Geneviève is forced by her mother to marry Roland Cassard, a rich wholesaler of precious stones.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg won the Palme d'Or at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival and its dialogue is entirely sung. The film launched 19-year-old Catherine Deneuve to stardom.

Next in the "Dance, Sing, Play!" series:

8 Women/8 Femmes
by François Ozon
2002 - France - 118 min
October 10 | 7:00 p.m.

Love Songs/Les Chansons d'amour
by Christophe Honoré
2007 - France - 95 min
October 24 | 7:00 p.m.

In French with English subtitles.

Online registration is required for these free admission screenings.

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The French Cinémathèque at the Avalon Theatre Presents: After Love

September 20 | 8:00 p.m
Avalon Theatre

After Love/L'Economie du couple
by Joachim Lafosse
2016 - France - 101 min

After fifteen years together, Marie (Bérénice Bejo) and Boris (Cédric Kahn) have decided to separate. However, Boris refuses to move out of the family home that Marie shares with their 8-year old twin daughters. Though his name is not on the deed, cash-strapped Boris feels that he deserves half the home’s worth because of his construction work that increased the house's market value. Both sides refuse to budge in this painfully intimate, intensely fascinating drama about the emotional and financial complexities of a separation and the end of a long love story.

In French with English subtitles.

More information and tickets here.

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Ciné-Club de l'Alliance Française and Les Cahiers du Cinéma Present: To Our Loves

September 13 | 6:30 p.m.
Alliance Française de Washington

To Our Loves/A nos Amours
by Maurice Pialat
1983 - France - 142 min

Alliance Française and French magazine Les Cahiers du Cinéma are partnering again to bring you the Ciné-Club! Nicholas Elliott, US correspondent of Les Cahiers du Cinéma, will lead a screening & discussion of this film about 16 year old Suzanne, a restless Parisienne who uses her sexual adventures to escape from her troubled home life.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A.

More information and tickets here.

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Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra Presents: East and West of the Rhine

September 29 | 7:30 p.m.
Embassy of France - La Maison Française

The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, conducted by French maestro Julien Bénichou and with special guest French violonist Virgil Boutellis Taft present their Fall concert: East and West of the Rhine.

Program

Ma mère l’Oye, Maurice Ravel                                                                      
I. Pavane de La Belle au bois dormant
II. Petit Poucet
III. Laideronnette, impératrice des pagodes
IV. Les entretiens de la belle et de la bête
V. Le jardin féerique

Poème, Ernest Chausson
Virgil Boutellis Taft, Violin

Danse Macabre, Camille Saint-Saëns
Virgil Boutellis Taft, Violin

Intermission

Symphony No. 4, Johannes Brahms
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Andante moderato
III. Allegro giocoso
IV. Allegro energico e passionato

More information and tickets here.

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Anaïs Depommier and Alex Alice at Small Press Expo

September 16 | 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center

Discover the French CartoonistsAnaïs Depommier and Alex Alice on Saturday 16 at the Small Press Expo (SPX), the Premiere Event for Indie Comics, Cartooning & Graphic Novels.

Each year, SPX brings together more than 650 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, and distributors. Graphic novels, mini comics, and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators.

More information and full schedule here.

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Rendez-Vous avec Pénélope Bagieu

September 21 | 7 p.m.
Alliance Française de Washington

French author Pénélope Bagieu will discuss her work at the Alliance Française de Washington.

Pénélope Bagieu was born in Paris in 1982, to Corsican and Basque parents. She is a bestselling graphic novel author and her editorial illustrations have appeared all over the French media. She blogs, drums in a rock band, and watches lots of nature shows. Her books with First Second include Exquisite Corpse and California Dreamin‘.

In English

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Mohamed Bourouissa: Urban Riders

Until October 2
Barnes Foundation

Mohamed Bourouissa: Urban Riders features approximately 85 works—including drawings, photos, costumes, sculptures, and a video—presented for the first time in the US. Since 2002, Bourouissa (b. 1978, Algeria; lives and works in Paris) has been developing a photography practice, drawing, and creating video rooted in social reality. Working primarily with representations of a contemporary urban environment, he is interested in the stereotypes associated with geographic and social spaces. Inspired by painting and contemporary photography, his works interweave fictional and documentary threads.

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Black Dolls

Until October 7
Vivid Solutions Gallery
Anacostia Arts Center

The Vivid Solutions Gallery presents Black Dolls, an exhibition by French Guianese photographer Mirtho Linguet. Inspired by the 1973 poem Limbé by Léon-Gontran Damas (French Guiana, 1912 – Washington DC, 1978), co-founder of the Negritude movement, Black Dolls is a visually impactful series of images which questions the impact of racism on the body and its representation.

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René Lalique: Enchanted by Glass

September 15, 2017 - January 21, 2018
Chrysler Museum of Art

The Chrysler presents a comprehensive look at one of the most influential designers of the 20th century, René Lalique, who combined artistry and industrialization to bring luxury to the masses.

This exhibition focuses on Lalique's work with glass and covers decades of creativity. As tastes moved from Art Nouveau to Art Deco, he had the luxury of being hailed as a leader and innovator in both.

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